Any human activity is impossible withoutmeans of labor. That is, without all those objects, mechanisms, tools, with the help of which the final product is created. In the modern world, special attention is paid to the improvement of technology. The easier it is to interact with the means of labor, the greater the efficiency of production.
Basic concepts
From the point of view of economic theory, the question ofThat is the process of production, you can give this answer: it is a sequence of certain actions, which result in the transformation of material and raw materials into finished products. Consider the most common example: how to make a stool? At the beginning, the boards are taken, and in the end there is a ready-made object for sitting. The whole process is the interaction of three main components:
- Human - labor.
- Boards - the subject of labor.
- Saws, hammer, nails - tools.
The subject of labor always plays a passive role. These are the very things, materials that transform into something else. But the transformation cannot be done without tools.
So, the means of labor are objects or tools necessary for the production of goods and services.
Financial look
Financial dictionary gives a bit extendedinterpretation. In it, the means of labor are considered as a complex designation of everything that relates to an enterprise and helps to participate in the transformation of the objects of labor. In this case, a concept that covers both buildings and devices is considered.
Impact can be not only mechanical, but also physical, chemical. In this case, all the necessary components, reagents, devices will also belong to the basic concept.
This approach is very important for the financial issue. Since all means of labor are recorded on the balance sheet of the enterprise, it is necessary to clearly understand their classification.
From the history
And how long have the means of labor?As far as we know, the first tools that help a person to get food appeared about 2 million years ago. These were primitive devices: hand choppers, disk axes, wood carvers. There was no technology for making the instruments themselves. Anthropoid monkeys simply used stones of the desired shape.
Чем дальше происходила эволюция, тем больше improved tools. Until, finally, people began to generalize their knowledge and introduce the concept of the means of production. The means of labor in these times (late 19th century) became the main subject of discussion.
The greatest attention to labor and methods of interaction with various tools paid in his theory K. Marx.
The main provisions of the theory of K. Marx
Before the Marxist theory, all predecessorsconsidered the political economy in terms of its material value, or benefit for the national economy. Karl Marx said that one cannot consider the vast sphere, without taking into account the most important thing - the process of reproduction. Based on the works of A. Smith, D. Ricardo and others, K. Marx and F. Engels formed their doctrine, in the center of which was man and the means of labor.
From this point of view, scientists have identified fivehistorical periods. Each of these stages is characterized by common features: religious trends, political concepts, types of relationships. And it all had a mapping in the ways of production. These periods are:
- Primitive communal.
- Slaveholding.
- Feudal.
- Capitalist.
- Communist.
Благодаря К.Marx formed the modern concept of the value of labor. It was he who, for the first time, touched upon the issues of increasing the value of the goods in the process of its transformation. He said that the use of means of labor is not only what we see: a machine tool, a hammer, a drawing, but also another abstract side in which the costs of human mental activity must be included.
Definition by C. Mars
TO.Marx gives such a definition to the means of labor: this is one thing or their totality, which a person places between himself and the subject of labor. They are used as intermediaries or guides from thought to action. We thought that it was necessary to fasten the part in this place, so we took a hammer (tool) and hammered a nail in.
Types of Labor
Depending on the original source, there are two large groups:
- Natural means of labor are those thatnature has given man, he used them in economic activities. We give examples. Fertile land - they grow wheat on them, rivers - the energy of water gives electricity. Separately, some scientists attribute to this category the domestication of wild animals, which are now considered domesticated: cows, horses, dogs, chickens, etc.
- Technical - created by man. There are many kinds of technical means.
Technical means of labor
Consider the integrated classification using the table
| Group | Appointment |
| Building | Constructed to create an enabling environment for continuous production. |
| Facilities | Although they are created as buildings, they are directly involved in the process of manufacturing something. For example, blast furnaces. |
| Power plants | Are sources of energy |
| Working machines and devices | They are considered the main tools on which the process of transformation of one product into another takes place. |
| Tools and fixtures | With their help, a person acts on the subject. |
| Economic inventory | They are obligatory, but they do not take part directly in the technology of manufacturing. They serve the main machines and tools: clean, clean, tidy. |
| Transport | It is a link between the individual stages of the production process. |
Occupational Safety and Health
Labor protection is a set of measures aimed at protecting the employee, his health and well-being during the performance of his official duties.
The means of labor protection are individual devices, the main function of which is to reduce the negative impact of the harmful environment. They can be divided into two large groups:
- To protect the respiratory system (gas mask, bandage, respirator);
- To cover the skin (raincoat, overalls, gloves, hats).
This is an integrated classification and fixed assets that should be in every enterprise.
Collective protection
Any entrepreneur should take care ofsafe working conditions and do everything possible to prevent accidents and catastrophes. This is the essence of collective labor protection. The most dangerous are the occurrence of fires. Means of protection of labor from fires:
- Primary products (water, sand, earth).
- Fire equipment and inventory, which should always be located in an accessible area.
The latter category includes:shovels, buckets, fire extinguishers. The greater the risk of fire in the workplace, the more attention should be paid to methods of rapid localization of fire. Every employee should be informed about the possible dangers associated with his activities and methods of their prevention.
conclusions
The main tools of labor are those toolsaggregates, structures that help a person reproduce a product from raw materials and primary materials. They can be classified according to different parameters, but even at home we are faced daily with dozens of items that facilitate our lives. If you look theoretically, the first means of labor is a wooden bludgeon found by a humanoid monkey.
